Burial casket



May-15, 193 4. J J. A. ZELLER BURIAL CASKET Filed June 28,, 1933 Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE numar. CASKET Joseph A. Zeller, Gallon, omo Application June 28, 1933, Serial No. 678,076 3 Claims. (01. 27-17) This invention relates to an improved burial casketand seeks, among other objects, to pro- .vide a device of this character which will be effactually sealed against the entrance of air, moisture or other foreign substances.

A further object of the invention is to provide a casket wherein, as compared with the height of the casket body, the lid will be relatively deep and will overlap the casket body for a considerable distance, and thus provides a closed air chamber within the lid, when the lid is closed, adapted to prevent the rise of water over the rim of the casket body.

The invention seeks, as a further object, to provide a casket wherein, when the lid is closed, a sealed auxiliary air pocket will be formed between the lid and the rim of the body of the easket which will function in conjunction with the air chamber within the lid to prevent the rise of water into the casket body.

And the invention seeks, as a still further object, to provide a casket which, in external appearance, will conform to accepted standards and which will be capable of feasible manufacture.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists incertain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinacfter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be re sorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved casket, a

Fig. 2 is a'transverse sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and f Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view showing a slight variation of the invention.

In carrying the invention into efiect, I employ an oblong body which is preferably formed of suitable sheet metal and is flar'ed to provide a base 11 from which rise vertical side and end walls 12.

The body 10 may be welded at the seams or otherwise fabricated to provide a water-tight structure and, as particularly seen in Fig. 2, the side and end walls thereof are given a U-bend to provide a lateral inwardly extending horizontal ledge or shoulder 13 from which rises an inwardly sloping rim 14, the shoulder 13 extending, of course, entirely around the body.

The rim 14 is, as will be observed, relatively 55 wide and is of a height approximately one-third of the total height of the body 10. Seating on the shoulder 13 is anappropriate gasket 15 which may be of rubber or other approved material, and secured to the side and end walls 12 of the body are suitable handles 16. swingingly connected to the body is a lid or cover 1'7 which is also preferably of sheet .metal fabricated to provide a water-tight structure. Centrally, the lid is arched or bowed upwardly to impart a dome-shape thereto, in cross section, 05 while at its side and end margins, the lid is bent downwardly and inwardly to provide a channelshaped side flange or skirt 18, substantially U-. shaped in cross section, the flange 18 extending, of course, entirely around the lid. Fixed to one side wall 12 of the body 10 and to the flange 18 at one longitudinal side of the lid, are appropriate hinges 19 swingingly mounting the lid and swingingly connected to the body at its opposite side are clamps 20 each embodying a pivoted lever 21 adapted to coact with a lug 22 on the lid for binding the lid closedr Any other appropriate fastening means may be employed, however, such as suitable locks, the intent being that the hinges 19 will hold the lid tightly closed at one side while the clamps or looks will hold the lid tightly closed at its opposite side. Secured to the upper reach of the flange 18, within the lid, at the junction of the flange with the domeshaped portion of the lid is a gasket 23 of rubber 35 or other suitable material.

Attention is now directed to the fact that the lid or cover 17 is of a major depth considerably more than one-third the depth of the body 10 and in being arranged to overlap the body portion 91? a considerable distance, as well as being formed with a dome-shaped top wall, coacts with the body, when the lid is closed, to provide a closed air chamber 23' within the lid adapted to resist the rise of water upwardly about the casket body 95 to flow over the rim 14.

To further prevent the entrance of water into the casket body, an auxiliary air-pocket 24 is provided. As will be observed, the lower edge of the flange 18 of the lid 17 closely approachesthe rim 1 14 of the body when the lid-is closed and seats tightly against the gasket 13 while the gasket 23 seats tightly against the upper edge of said rim to provide sealed joints between the lid and body defining the intervening air pocket 24 within said flange, extending entirely around the rim. As will be observed; the air trapped in-the pocket 24 cannot escape upwardly from said pocket and, accordingly, should water, for any reason, .be caused to stand about the casket, the water can-' no 2 not rise upwardly through the pocket to enter the body of the casket. The casket is thus effectually sealed.

In Fig. 3 of the drawing, I have illustrated a slight variation of the invention wherein the side and end walls of the casket body are bent to provide a lateral shoulder 26 from which rises arim 27. Hinged to the body is a lid or cover 28 bent to define a fiat shoulder 29 extending entirely around the lid and depending from said shoulder is a flange or skirt 30 provided at its tree margin with a substantially concavo-convex lip 31. Secured within said lip is a suitable gasket I 32 and secured to the lower face of the shoulder 29 is a suitable gasket 33, both of which may be formed of rubber or other suitable material. As will be observed, the lip 31 is shaped to conform to the external contour of the shoulder 26 of the casket body, at the crest of said shoulder, so that the gasket 32 seats fiat against the shoulder to provide a sealed joint between the lid and the casket body. Similarly, the gasket 33 seats against the upper edge of the rim 27 to provide a second sealed joint between the lid and the casket body. An intervening air pocket 34 is thus defined between the rim 2'7 and flange 30 of the lid for excluding water from the casket. Otherwise, this modified form of the invention is similar to the preferred construction and further description is accordingly believed unnecessary.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A casket comprising a hollow body member having an upwardly directed rim, a peripheral laterally directed shoulder at the base of said rim, a lid including a laterally enlarged marginal portion adapted to be seated over said rim and having a portion to seat upon said shoulder and another portion to seat'upon the upper edge of the rim, and sealing means disposed between both seating portions of the lid and the respective body portions whereby a peripheral sealed air pocket is provided about the rim to prevent seepage of moisture into said body member when the lid is "seated upon the body member.

2. A gasket comprising a hollow body member open at its top and having an upstanding rim about its open top, walls of the body member having portions bent to form an outstanding bead extending about the body at the base of the rim and defining a shoulder, a lid adapted to rest upon the upper edge of said rim and having extended marginal portions bent downwardly to form a hollow skirt adapted to fit about the rim and rest upon said shoulder, and sealing means between the shoulder and skirt and between the lid and upper edge of said rim whereby a sealed air pocket is formed within the skirt entirely-surrounding the rim and serving to prevent moisture entering the body member when the lid is seated upon the body member.

3. A casket comprising a hollow body open at its top and having an upstanding rim about its open top, a portion of the walls of the body being bent outwardly to form a bead extending about the body at thebase of the rim and defining a,

shoulder, a lid adapted to rest upon the upper edge of said rim and having an upwardly bowed portion disposed over the body when the lid is in place and together with the body forming a chamber having a dome shaped upper portion above the body, said lid having a depending hollow peripheral skirt adapted to fit about the rim whenosEPrI A. ZELLER. LL. 5.] 

